Taylor, Polite strong candidates to enter the NFL draft
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- Several Florida players are evaluating their options. Underclassmen have until Jan. 14 to decide if they will declare for the NFL draft.
So far, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is the only junior to announce his decision to skip his senior season to enter the draft, however, he is most likely not the last one.
RELATED STORY: Gardner-Johnson always knew he was going to play in the bowl game; Grantham on the junior's NFL prospect
On the defensive side of the ball, all eyes are on Jachai Polite.
The pass rusher has had quite the break out year for the Gators. After recording 11 sacks, the Florida defensive end has a chance to break Alex Brown's single-season school sack record of 13 in the Peach Bowl next Saturday.
Polite also registered 43 tackles, forced five fumbles, broke up four passes and had three quarterback hurries this last year - a big reason why the team found success.
Although Polite is being projected in the first round in several mock drafts, Todd Grantham is hesitant to advise Polite into forgoing his final season. According to the Florida defensive coordinator, Polite could benefit from one more year on the orange and blue.
"I think you have to wait and look at the evaluation of where your grade is," Grantham said. "Look at the evaluation of where you see yourself this year and next year, because there’s value in coming back relative to where you stand or maybe where you can go. Great example, I had Jarvis Jones and Jarvis had 13.5 sacks for me and he was coming out the same year as Von Miller. We kind of knew he might not be the first outside ‘backer taken, but he would have been a second-round pick.
"Because he stayed, and actually ended up with 14.5 sacks the next year, he ended up being the 17th pick in the draft. So he went from a second-round pick to a middle-of-the-first-round pick. To give you an example, if you’re in the middle of the third round your guarantee number is probably around $800,000. Everybody thinks that’s a lot of money, but in the grand scheme of things it’s really not, because if you’re a middle pick in the first round your guaranteed money is around $12 million. There’s value in working to come back."
Dan Mullen hinted at this same thing earlier this year, saying that Polite may benefit from another year under Nick Savage.
"It’s hard because we’re not putting all the size on him," Mullen said on Oct. 22 when he was asked about how Polite was coming along. "That’ll be something this offseason where he’d have the opportunity to really become an every-down player where he gets that physicality, that growth and that strength.”
On the offensive side of the ball, Jawaan Taylor is also receiving some first round talk.
"He’s grown throughout the season, got better and better," Florida offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator John Hevesy said. "We talked about this last week, he just keeps improving, and to me it’s his own improvement for the betterment of his future.
"I think all-around he’s gotten better at his game with his hands, with his feet, just learn to bend, learn to bounce and all those things that he needs to learn to do it. No one’s perfected anything, so to me it’s just keep getting better in everything he’s doing and find your weaknesses and correct them."
Although three Michigan players have decided not to play in the bowl game, as of Saturday, no Florida players have opted out of playing the Peach Bowl on Dec. 29.